Studies on women’s autonomy and experience of intimate partner violence (IPV) often
focus on the effects of women’s own education and other individual characteristics. This study
goes beyond by considering the effects of partner’s educational attainment. It used individual
data from recent Demographic and Health Surveys in six countries in Sub-Saharan Africa
(Kenya, Mali, Nigeria, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda). Using multivariate regression analysis,
this study shows generally that partner’s education has a significant positive effect on women’s
decision-making. For instance, we found that in Nigeria, even a partner’s primary education was
associated with a significantly higher risk of women participating in more decisions (compared
to partner’s having no education). However, in Kenya, partner’s primary and secondary
education were associated with a higher risk of participating in fewer decisions (in 1-2 decisions
vs. all three decisions). In relation to intimate partner physical violence, partner’s education
level also shows different results. Partner’s education at all levels was associated with a
significant lower risk of physical violence in Kenya. While in Nigeria, partner’s secondary
education was associated with a significant higher risk of physical violence. In general, women’s
own educational attainment appeared to be more significant in predicting higher levels of
decision-making autonomy and was the most protective against physical violence in Kenya.
These first results, while interesting prevent us from drawing a general picture of the effect of
education in this context. Finally, interacting the partner’s educational attainment with women’s
own educational attainment shows that partner’s higher education had both multiplicative and
substitution effects for women’s decision-making autonomy. Overall, women whose partners
have higher education were more likely to participate in more decisions regardless of their own
educational attainment (substitution effect). Women in couples where both partners have higher
education were most likely to participate in more decisions (multiplicative effect). In the case
of violence, a more educated partner with a low educated woman was associated with the
experience of physical violence, while higher education among women was associated with less
violence. The general picture of this study illustrates that women whose partners are highly
educated have higher participation in household decision-making but may be subject to violence
if her own educational attainment is lower than that of her partner. This study highlights the
necessity to challenge the norms surrounding women’s participation (in the family and
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community) and the need for more advocacy for the inclusion of men in public policy related to
women’s empowerment.